BBC Wildlife - UK 2020-07)

WILDMONTH

In the summertime, when the weather is ne,

we’vegotwildlifeonourminds (as usual).

By Ben Hoare

Ross Hoddinott

Lurkingamongthenation’sherbaceous

bordersandotherfloweryplacesare

predatorswitha chameleon-liketalent

forchangingcolour.Femalecrabspiders

canoftenmatchtheirbackground

beautifully,butforsomereasonthe

smallermalesdon’tpossessthisskill.

Ofthe 30 orsospeciesofcrabspider

inBritain,themostwidespreadis

Misumenavatia, femalesofwhichseek

outprominentflowerswithwideheads

suchasox-eyedaisies,hogweed,thistles

orknapweed.Wheninposition,oneof

thesespiderswillsitperfectlystillwith

hertwofrontlegsheldoutinfront,

waitingforanunsuspectingbee,fly

orbutterflytovisitherchosenbloom.

Bigmistake.Theambusherstrikes,

puncturestheexoskeletonofherprey,

thenslurpsoutthejuices.

A spidercandetectitsvictimswith

virtuallyeverypartofitsbody.“Spiders

haveanunnervingawareness,”says

thenaturalistPaulEvansinhisbook

FieldNotesfromtheEdge. “Threepairs

ofeyes,sensorypalpsaroundtheir

mouths,hairswitha senseoftouch

andproprioception– likehearingand a

senseofself,bodyposition,movement

andacceleration.”Prettyhair-raising–

nowonderspidersareamongthemost

efficientpredatorsonEarth.

FIND OUT MORE

More about Britain’s invertebrates:

buglife.org.uk

1 | CRAB SPIDER

Deadly disguise